


YQX to DFW to LHR

by bigblueboxat221b



Series: How Does Your Marriage Work? [13]
Category: Come From Away - Sankoff & Hein
Genre: After Gander, Airline upgrade, Airports, Diane POV, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Falling In Love, Kind Strangers, With A Little Help from American Airlines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-27 03:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20400637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigblueboxat221b/pseuds/bigblueboxat221b
Summary: Diane returns to Dallas, without Nick and without having admitted her feelings for him. When her sister finds out, she's adamant Diane needs to follow him to London. Could it work?





	YQX to DFW to LHR

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This is not RPF  
While Nick and Diane in the musical are based on real people, this story is set strictly in the fictional representation of them in the musical, ‘Come From Away’. I haven’t done any research into their personal lives, and anything further than what is canon in the musical is completely made up, with the exception of some geographical details. This is not intended to represent the real life couple in any way, their thoughts, attitudes or actions. It’s just my brain saying, ‘what if?’, as it does to every story that resonates with me.

“So, you’ll call?” Diane asked, knowing her anxiety was audible in her voice. The tension between them had steadily risen on the flight home, Diane agonisingly aware of Nick as they sat beside each other, barely speaking except for a few strained comments about returning to regular life. She’d wanted to cry since they’d taken off.

“As soon as I get back,” Nick replied. They smiled carefully at each other and she was sure he was going to say something...but then he didn’t, turning away and heading for International Departures.

And then I was alone, she thought to herself. Turning, her heart slowly fracturing, Diane made it through the arrivals gate to see a mass of people waiting. The whole mess of faces blurred together, but a shaped detached itself and flew at her.

“Diane!”

It was her sister, hugging her fiercely, and the familiar feel and scent after so long was the last straw. Tears flooded out and Diane clung to her sister, sobbing hard. It was as much relief at it being over as it was grief that it was over. Complicated didn’t even begin to describe the emotions swirling through her right now, and Diane didn’t even try, just holding onto her sister for dear life.

“I love you,” Carol said, her voice muffled in her hair. “I can’t believe you’ve been gone a whole extra week.” She pulled back, looking into Diane’s face. “You have to tell me what happened. Are you alright?”

The care and concern let loose a fresh wave of grief, and Diane felt her face crumple again. “Was it that bad?” Carol asked in alarm.

“No,” Diane said thickly. “It was wonderful.”

“Wonderful?” Carol repeated, frowning. “Come on, we need to sit down while you tell me what on Earth was going on up there.” She guided Diane over to a bench, navigating for both of them through the people waiting at the arrivals gate.

“So, tell me,” Carol said. “What happened?”

“I know it sounds crazy,” Diane blurted, “but we had no idea what was going on, and the people were so kind, and...and...” she could feel the tears running down her face as she remembered Gander. Remembered being with Nick in Gander. Remembering Nick.

“And?!” Carol prompted, taking her hand. “Lord above, Diane, you tell me what’s making you weep like this!”

“And I met someone,” Diane whispered. Her sister’s eyes grew wide and she added without being prompted, “His name is Nick and he lives in London and he’s kind and perfect and...and he lives in London.”

“He’s English?” Carol asked.

Diane nodded. “Uh-huh.” She wiped at her face, trying to get used to the ache in her chest. That was what a broken heart felt like, she was sure. And unless she and Nick found a way to…but she couldn’t think like that. They’d made their choices, and now here they were.

Here _she_ was.

Carol frowned. “So why are you here?”

“What?” Diane asked, still trying to find her equilibrium enough to follow her sister’s questioning.

“Why are you here? Where is he?”

“He’s going back to England,” Diane said. She added stupidly, “I don’t live in England.”

“And you’ll visit him,” Carol said, as though it was already decided. “Or he’ll come here.”

“He said he’ll call,” Diane said. “We didn’t talk about visiting.”

“Well what did you talk about?” Carol asked.

“Nothing,” Diane whispered. “We didn’t talk on the plane. We just…sat.”

“You just sat?” Carol repeated, frowning again. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Diane whispered.

“Wait, I thought you said-”

“We didn’t even kiss,” Diane said, the anguish raw in her voice. “I don’t know if he even...” she sighed, defeated.

“But you said-”

“We spent all our time together,” Diane blurted. “Went for walks, had this night out when I thought…but I was wrong. And then on the last day, we walked up to this gorgeous lookout, and I really thought then, that he might…and I couldn’t…” she drew in a shaking breath, holding in the sob threatening to burst forth. “I just couldn’t, Carol!” She twisted her hands together. “What if he said no?”

“Well how would you know if you didn’t ask?” Carol said in exasperation.

“I couldn’t,” Diane whispered again.

“Well you need to kiss him, then,” Carol said, with the air of one who knows these things. “That’ll tell you if he’s interested or not.”

“But he _lives_ in _London_,” Diane said again. “I can’t kiss him from here!”

“Well of course not,” Carol said. “Seriously honey, what on Earth are you doing here? You need to get on a plane to London!”

Diane blinked. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Why?” Carol demanded. “You need to find him, Diane, and kiss this man.”

“What if he doesn’t...he’s not...”

“I have not seen you so,” Carol waved one hand up and down, “like _this_ about someone in a long, long time.” She gave her sister a knowing look. “And if he helped you get through the last week, who cares if he lives in London? Go and chase him!”

Diane looked at her sister. “But if he doesn’t…and I’m there…”

Carol’s eyes went wide and she pointed a finger at her sister. “I know you, Diane, and you would not be like this if there wasn’t something worth losing underneath. You are in love with him, aren’t you?”

She breathed for a moment, debating the truth – but then Diane nodded, biting her lip. Hearing it said aloud was a relief and a burden. There was no denying it anymore, not even to herself.

“Right,” Carol said. “We need to get you on a plane to London.” She turned and looked around. “Is he flying today?” Diane nodded.

“From here to London?”

Another nod.

Carol turned back, a look of determination on her face. “We might be able to get you on his flight!”

Diane opened her mouth to protest, but it was no use. Carol was pulling her towards International Departures. “Who would he be flying with? AA again, or British Airways?”

“American,” Diane said, a laugh burbling up with fresh tears. “He always flies American.”

Carol nodded, and Diane allowed herself to be propelled through the people waiting around arrivals, her suitcase rattling behind her. The rest of the airport was almost empty, and they made good time over to the American Airlines desk. There wasn’t even a line; Carol made a beeline for the first free assistant.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Carol, this is my sister, and we need to get her on a flight to London. Right now.”

“Right now?” the woman repeated. “Um, okay.”

“You do have his phone number?” Carol asked. “You can call him when you get to London.”

Diane nodded. She blinked at the assistant, for some reason fixing on her name badge. _Brenda_, it said.

“Visiting someone special?” Brenda asked as she typed.

“She met someone in Canada,” Carol told her.

The woman’s hands froze. “In Canada?”

“Diane was diverted there last week,” Carol explained. “And she met someone, but he’s English, and she didn’t tell him she loves him, so-”

“Carol!” Diane said. “That’s enough!”

“Oh,” Brenda said, and Diane was astonished to see tears in her eyes. “That’s the first good story I’ve heard about what happened last week.”

The three women stood for a moment with the suddenly sombre atmosphere.

“Right,” Brenda said, wiping her tears. “We are getting you to London.” She looked up. “I shouldn’t do this, but if you tell me his name I’ll see if I can get you on the same flight.”

Carol squealed, swatting at Diane’s arm until she said faintly, “Nick. Marson.” She spelled his surname, unable to quite believe this was happening.

“Probably Nicholas,” Carol added, tapping impatiently on the counter. Diane nudged her. Brenda knew what she was doing, and Carol had a tendency to take over. Sometimes it worked out, other times not so well and Diane didn’t want to risk it. Not if there was the slightest chance…

“Here he is!” Brenda said, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, he’s on the next flight…” she checked the time. “Right, this is what we’re doing. No time for checked luggage.” She handed Diane her boarding pass as it printed from the machine. “Get yourself through Customs and to gate…31 as fast as you can. I’ll call them and ask them to hold the flight for you.” She squeezed Diane’s hand, looking teary. “Good luck!”

“Thank you,” Diane said, looking dazedly at Carol.

“Don’t stand here,” Carol said, laughing through her tears. “Call me from London!”

Diane nodded, picked up her carry-on bag and ran towards Customs. She couldn’t believe she was running to get on a plane back out of the US again, after a week hoping to come home. Her heart was thumping much too fast, even for someone running as she was; the wild idea of her sister was now coming to fruition and if she was very lucky, she’d make it onto Nick’s plane.

She had no idea what came after that.

The airport was quiet, and Diane made good time through Customs and the terminal. Finally, gate 31 was in view, and as she approached it, panting, a flight attendant’s face lit up and she spoke animatedly to someone on the other end of the phone she held.

“She’s here!” the flight attendant said. “Thank you!”

“I made it?” Diane panted.

“You made it,” the flight attendant said, hanging up the phone. She leaned in. “We haven’t had many happy stories this week. We just wanted to give y’all a chance to make one.” She took Diane’s boarding pass and passport, processing and returning them immediately.

“That’s very kind,” Diane said. “Thank you.” She swallowed, suddenly nervous, gripping her boarding pass and passport. Taking a deep breath she started down the corridor. There hadn’t been enough time for her to think about this. What if he thought she was crazy? Or didn’t want to see her? Or wasn’t interested, and they had to sit next to each other the whole way to London, an awkwardness as immense as the ocean they were crossing sitting between them…

“Hello,” the flight attendant – Barbara – greeted her. “Welcome to American Airlines.”

“Thank you,” Diane said, taking her ticket with numb fingers and starting to turn right.

“No,” Barbara said, touching her arm. “First class.”

“First class?” Diane repeated. “No, that can’t be right.”

Barbara’s face became sombre. “All our flights have been mostly empty since the airspace opened. We have plenty of spare seats, and when Brenda rang through to the desk, she asked if there was space for you and, is it Nick?” – Diane nodded dumbly – “for you and Nick to sit together, we thought first class would be nicer.”

“Thank you,” Diane said automatically. All these people invested in her, helping her…and she had no idea what to do. She swallowed hard. “I have no idea what to say,” she whispered.

“Just tell him the truth,” Barbara said. “Whatever it is.” She patted Diane’s hand, then drew back the curtain to first class. “Just there, in the middle.”

“Next to Nick,” Diane whispered, seeing the back of his head.

“Go on,” Barbara said, pushing her gently forward. It was what she needed, and the dozen or so steps she had to take felt like she was crossing a chasm towards some kind of doom.

Nick was speaking to another flight attendant, who caught Diane’s eye as she came down the aisle. “I still don’t understand why I’ve been upgraded. I appreciate it, of course, but…”

The flight attendant interrupted him gently. “I think someone’s here that can explain.”

Nick turned, following her gaze to Diane, standing on the other side of the spare seat beside him. His mouth dropped open, and Diane saw his fingers clutch at the armrest. “Diane?” he whispered, his face frozen in shock.

“Hello, Nick,” she said nervously.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I had to see you,” she said, the words tumbling out over each other as she choked back a sob.

“I’m sorry, but you need to fasten your seatbelts for take-off,” the flight attendant said apologetically, taking Diane’s carry-on bag. Diane nodded, startled, and her knees almost gave out. She sank into the seat beside Nick, fastening her seatbelt with shaking hands. She wound them together, hoping he wouldn’t notice, but his eyes flicked down and she knew he’d seen how unsteady they were. For a moment she wondered what he might say, but he didn’t open his mouth. Instead he turned, slowly placing his hands over hers, stilling the shaking and sending electricity shooting up her arms at the same time. The breath she drew was shaky, and her eyes flew up to his face.

“I was going to call when I got back,” Nick said. His eyes were locked on her face, and she could almost see him thinking, trying to figure out what was going on.

“I know,” Diane replied, and everyone’s advice swirled together in her mind. As she looked into Nick’s eyes she couldn’t think of a single right word to say.

Instead she raised their hands, hers covered by his, and pressed her lips to his knuckles, closing her eyes and praying he would understand. She sat still as the plane started taxiing; the slow jostle of their path shifting his skin under her lips. Anxiously, she turned her face up to his, studying the astonishment writ there. When he didn’t pull away, she relaxed every so slightly. No time like the present, she thought, and leaned over, pressing one hand to his jaw as she kissed him. It lasted a few seconds before she started to ease away, disappointment pooling sour in her stomach as Nick didn’t responded. Well. She’d tried, and at least she knew. Maybe Barbara could find her a seat at the back of economy, and she could return to Dallas as soon as they landed…

With a gasp, Nick surged forward, untangling his hands as he returned her kiss, fervour and awkwardness making him clumsy. His arms wrapped around her, and she exhaled with relief, pressing back against him, exhilaration coursing through her at his touch, his mouth on hers, the knowledge that the connection was not as one sided as she feared it might be. One arm seemed to be wound around his neck, the other pressed to the back of his head; the short hairs there tickling her fingers. It was almost overwhelming, so many new things to know about Nick, but none matched knowing how he mouth felt on hers, how his breath felt skittering unevenly across her cheek. She had no idea how long they remained there, lost in each other, but eventually the sound of the cabin address system broke through.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this direct flight to London, Heathrow. Our flight time today is approximately eight hours and fifty minutes. On behalf of everyone at American Airlines I’d like to thank you for flying with us today.” The pilot broke off for a moment, then returned, amusement in her voice. “I’d also like to welcome our special guests on board, Nick and Diane. We hope you’ll enjoy your flight.”

The sound of the captain’s voice had jolted them out of their embrace, and Diane’s heart swelled with the quiet joy radiating from Nick’s eyes as he gazed at her. She had the particular impression he was amazed to find her here, and she was about to ask him when their names were spoken over the address system. Belatedly she realised they must have taken off at some point, too. She hadn’t even noticed.

“Is that us?” she said in surprise.

“Must be,” Nick replied, not taking his eyes from her face. He leaned closer, kissing her lightly as though to check she was still there. “Perhaps they’ll bring us champagne.”

Diane winced. “I’m not sure I’ve recovered from the screech.”

“That was an interesting night,” Nick agreed, his face flushing. He eased back, creating a little distance, though his hands still lingered. With a thrill, Diane realised hers had too, and that they were welcome resting against Nick’s skin.

“What?” Diane asked. She studied his face, blinking at her, the flush deepening. “What?”

“The morning after, you asked me if you kissed the fish,” Nick told her. “I told you that you did.”

“Yes,” Diane replied. She frowned. “I don’t quite remember that night, but I’m not sure that’s right, is it?”

“Well, no,” Nick said apologetically. “I’m sure it was the alcohol, but you kissed me instead.”

“I did?” Diane asked, eyes widening. “I did!” She frowned, trying to wrest more clarity from the fuzzy memory. “The mayor gave me a choice.”

“He did,” Nick admitted. “You wouldn’t kiss the fish.”

“And you kissed me back,” Diane remembered.

Nick coloured even further. “I did,” he admitted.

Diane frowned. “But you didn’t tell me,” she said. “Why?”

“I,” Nick hesitated. “If you didn’t remember it, I wasn’t sure…you’d want to.”

“Oh,” Diane breathed. “I did.” She smiled at him, “I do.”

They both moved this time, the kiss soft and tender enough that Diane thought she might cry with relief and happiness. Nick was exactly as she’d imagined flying home from Gander, wanting to say something but despairing that they were destined to return to their homes so far apart. She could hardly believe that they were sitting here now, on a flight to London.

“Oh my God,” Diane blurted suddenly. “We’re on a flight to London!”

Nick looked startled for a second. “Yes,” he said. “Is that…hang on, I didn’t tell you which flight I was taking. How did you know?”

Diane felt her cheeks heat. “My sister can be very persuasive,” she admitted. “Well, actually, she reads me quite well.” Nick nodded, but he was clearly waiting for more. “She met me at the airport, and we were both crying, of course, and she thought it was just because of everything last week, but,” Diane took a deep breath, “when she looked at me she knew it wasn’t.” She shrugged helplessly, half lost in the recent memory of despair. “I missed you already,” she said, hearing the tears rising in her voice. “And when Carol said she could see I-” Diane cut herself off abruptly, realising what she was about to reveal.

Nick looked confused. “What could she see?” he asked.

Diane studied him, wondering how to answer. He looked genuinely confused, as though he really didn’t know how that sentence was going to end. She could come up with something else – or she could tell him. Her heart pounded at the very idea, but her previous most crazy story – chasing someone onto a plane heading across the Atlantic – had turned out better than she thought it might…and something in Nick’s reaction to her so far told her that he was, at the very least, quite fond of her.

With a deep breath and all the courage she possessed, Diane looked Nick in the eye. “She could see I’d fallen in love with you,” she said, not quite able to keep the shake from her voice, or, embarrassingly enough, the fresh tears from her eyes.

Nick became still, the ghost of his thumb still caressing her cheek. Diane waited, wanting to count the seconds but unable to concentrate enough to keep the numbers in her head. Whatever happened now, she’d bared her heart, taken all the chances this flight had allowed her.

It was resting on Nick now, to let her down slowly, or not. Diane tried not to think, to worry about what might be. Just to be in the moment, waiting for Nick’s response as calmly as she could. Breathing in, breathing out.

“I thought I was crazy,” he said, the words low and unexpected. “To think four days was enough time.” His eyes were rapidly filling too, she saw, and a surge of hope pushed through her.

“You too?” she asked, unable to wait a second longer.

“Yes,” he said, and the word was almost lost in their kiss, both of them reaching forward to cling and touch and kiss as much as their current location would allow.

“I love you,” Nick gasped between kisses. “I didn’t think…after the screech in…”

“I’m sorry,” Diane replied, her own words crammed into the spaces between his words and their kisses. When they finally eased off, both breathing hard, Diane added, “I did not mean to drink that much.”

Nick smiled affectionately, but it dimmed as he met her eyes again with an intensity that seared her soul. “I love you,” he said quietly.

Her heart soared and she replied, “I love you too.”

***

Several hours and a whole lot of canoodling later, Diane mused, “I have no idea what to do in London.”

“It will be Tuesday, I think,” Nick replied, his now familiar touch tracing her jaw still making her shiver. “I’ll be taking the rest of the week off.” He smiled, leaning in to press the words to her mouth. “You could keep me company.”

Diane smiled, flushing at the potential implications of his offer. “That’s very kind,” she replied, but her smiled faded when she said, “I can’t stay long. I have to get back to Dallas. David, my sister, my job…” Her eyes widened. “I’ll have to call them as soon as we-”

Nick’s kiss cut her off as gently as possible. “We’ll work it out when we get there,” he murmured. “Together.”

“In London,” Diane said.

“In London,” Nick agreed, and she could feel his smile, on her lips and in her soul.


End file.
